Electrical connectors for multiple conductor cables are well known in the art. However, as smaller connectors were demanded for a variety of applications, problems began to arise. Specifically, the connector had to be small enough to fit into the application. When two connectors are mated, their mating faces must fit exactly. Even though the size of a multiple conductor cable connector's mating face may be limited by the size of the mating face of a mating connector, for example, a connector attached to a circuit board, the cable receiving face of the connector must still be large enough to accommodate a cable, regardless of the dimensions of the connector's mating face. Not only might the surface area of the mating face be limited by the application, but a minimum height of the connector housing which must retain the limited cross sectional area may be required.
In addition, the reduced size connectors had difficulty with stability. The smaller parts were less able to maintain a termination cover and a housing in rigid position. Additionally, smaller connectors with small parts were more fragile. Plastic or other insulating material did not always have the strength to survive normal handling.
Co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/613,348, herein incorporated by reference, discloses a multiple conductor cable connector, including a metallic clip which latches a termination cover and a housing. A projecting tab, a latch, and concave inner surfaces of the clip grasp a handle of the termination cover to secure it to the clip. The termination cover is recessed to allow the clip tab to fit flush with a rear surface of the termination cover. Convex outer surfaces of sleeves of the clip cooperate with concave inner surfaces of channels of opposed paired towers on the housing to guide the termination cover towards the housing. Use of the clip within the channels provides a rigid structure for the connector, unaffected by normal handling. Inner surfaces of the channels have protrusions which cooperate with leading edges on the clip to define a stop, and a cutout protrusion on the clip cooperates with a recess and shoulder in the channel inner surface; together these features define a pre-termination position. A separate protrusion on the housing body cooperates with a separate recess on the clip to define a termination position and to latch the termination cover to the housing.